The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-10-02
oooD STORIES or rHr rnnsESr DAE
~. vys,1erfu, Isiana Upen Whieh Capt
Wheetsn Yves Cast Away.

tures of Capt Wheaton OF the ship Starlight.
Among ali the forecastle yarns ever heard.
tbnt story takes the medal, and whom am
through relating II tho reader will DO as much
mystifed as have always been regarding It.
indeed. neyer yet met sailor who did not
armly believe In the truth Of Capt Wheaton's
every statement toll the story because was
An actor In the flrst and last chapters.
Il was In October. 1859, that / shipped as
second mate on tho Starlight. which was then
lying in tho port Of Honolulu. She was an
old whaler. and had been sold at auction and
cheaply refltted for . voyage to Lima and re-
turn, In the interests OF some California ship
pers, We loft port In ballast only, and were
two men short OF our complement Capt.
wheaton was Barnegat man, and tho crow
ali English speaking people. and for tho first
fortnight no ship ever had better weather. The
Captain. as understood him. was an earnest,
conscientious man. being above the average
In point OF intelligence, and Of strictly tenn
perate habits. The first mate brought deml-
John Of whiskey aboard tho day before sailing,
but tho Captain made him ship 1t ashore at
once, and he cautioned the fo'csstle men that
he would clap the man In irons who was
found tho worse for liquor. Tho men used to
slyly refer to him as "the Sunday school SUI
perintendent." and I believe no was good
enough to have filed the bill.
At tho end Of the fortnight the fne weather
was broken BY rousing gale, which struck rs
during my night watch. and all hands had to
be called. We had hard time Of It during the
first hour. and were finally compelled to Ito to.
and II was while We were bringing tho ship to
s ss 4 Ss. Il: s. %psR sasa s VIE
several spare sPars ard booms, and 4 los q
ssSf 1. Se 81 d shS
TO render any assistance. Indeed. 1t was q So
sS Ss aSoiSl hs h9P hos h'ass A.. :as Of d
sSip c was 90 strained and fnoSfed about that
aS Sa she began to leak fas:er than ths
pumps could throw the water out, and on the
az hsa the We os
four t S'1A m SP'Re .eG
ssssSa = s sss rs:
from the Galapagos Islands. These islands
II e e s r. Ssss sns
SsSiiEsd Sy natives Who could speak more or
Now, IS We got the gale dead from the north.
and as the aend Of the sea was southward for
s the SoS nS pssas
sop possisiy toHsd the group
e II nss
swept oyerbSsrd IN . gale p sustain himself
t Ass 1ss% Sss ase @ Viii
q &c IL asS Sse iss thc
nearing the equator. being about pIdXay be-
Was hailed from ogt d lie darkness. and Aye
Hsa 'ss had SsR sfe ass
raft. which was provided With ssil:
Captain ii Was In good health and spirits;
but ve Ss 6spsn e s he Ss
but that be should 20 alone and II such seem.
= ss% sss
Se u c Mi Hb biz I Sensation. Hs Vas Il list
taken for an impostor. but he had letters and
IN his pocket 70 af idsn Iar1
ana oan relate y almost word ior word: 49,,
he gave himself up for lost: III. got but one
look. 1t the ship, and realizing that she was
Sway from MIN n1d ne en %af 1syS9ffo 70
within reach. and In a SECOND, he changed his
%S and pan e se that Day
6ut ga net II 60 q his aoat as sGS1
e
sSs III @ Gd :1s 's sS
and he crawled further up the shore and went
e se eppe ssaR ssd
long 81 81 one one mile vide: It YES vii Wooded,
q
% @ Thar ds ssns
Mhssson vas nos only good seaman; but 1, 9
Fheres Was hardly an island ip that ocean
AZ b1 sisSt again; xites bis 10 began IL, e
No s a Gssa sana lying Sn an s
s ss Z s' n aas y
group, and the Galapagos Islands. He had
+ have wSfs ms
taken in his location had he gone ashore on
Sas s% M ehS That hs island vas " Seoanfc
origin, not over twelve OF fifteen years old. and
that the iHI1urtsnt SssotatiSn vas STs e the
there from some Of the other Islands, but how
tuo mOukoyb EobcH6Q Inc BpOs WAS . puEZl0r
the Captain never got over. That he found 'em
there was proved whom no was rescued. there
being two pet animals on the raft.
When tho castaway came to walk around his
tslend he found the wreck Of the SCOTCH brig
Mcneil on the east shore. and tho wreck of the
California ship Golden Bar on the west coast.
Both craft had been reported lost with ali on
board two or three years before Tho one was
awhaler and the other trader. The Captain
not only said he found them. but he had proofs
again. He had the name board OF the ship and
some papers belonging to the brig. He found
and buried the skeletons Of thirteen sailors,
and among the debris OF the wrecks he secured
largo quantity of clothing, considerable
pEonsy. some bedding lpt q tools. ropes.
gan the work OF building boat to enable him
always felt that the old man must have had
was on what he called "Wheaton's Island. but
10 dwelt on the fact that 1t was terribly lonely.
1t went harder with him. because he had wife
and siI children. and he kpew that they would
rels Of whiskey and Q lot Of tobacco IN the
plumber. but he was not content to sit still and
enjoy himself He put In two months on mis-
boat, and had Just got her finished when o
storm set In and she broke her mornings and
drifted out to sea. Anxiety and exposure.
eided By the worry about the folks at home,
laid the old man on his back for several weeks,
and no nrOhahly hal n Cloga call from, altpnIne,